SACRAMENTO – The state needs to invest in more airplanes, fire engines and firefighters to combat shortfalls in its firefighting abilities highlighted during last year’s Southern California wildfires, an outside task force recommended Friday.

The 18-member blue ribbon task force said the state needs to buy 131 more fire engines by December 2009 while trimming red tape to streamline equipment purchases and upgrades.

The task force, which is independent of state government, is composed of firefighter unions, fire chiefs and state officials.

“The demands on our emergency response system and the risk to life and property are dramatically greater than they have ever been,” said task force Chairman Mike Warren, chief of the Corona Fire Department.

“California must adjust to this new reality if we are to protect the tens of millions of our citizens who live and work in harm’s way.”

The task force also recommended the purchase of new equipment to improve communications between fire agencies in an emergency; new land-use planning strategies to reduce the risk of fires spreading; and the creation of a joint information center to provide consistent messages to the public during emergencies.

But the state is currently facing a fiscal crisis, with a $14.5 billion budget deficit over the next 18 months, making new expenditures difficult to finance.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a new 1.25 percent surcharge on homeowners’ insurance to help fund additional firefighting equipment and staff.